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Roger Penske embraces IndyCar road course race at Indianapolis

September 30, 2013

Roger Penske has won 15 Indianapolis 500s as a team owner. He knows and respects the traditions of Indy more than most. Photo by LAT PHOTOGRAPHIC

Team owner Roger Penske is an Indianapolis Motor Speedway traditionalist as much as anyone, but common sense leads him to support the creation of an IndyCar Series road course race at the historic facility in 2014.

“In this economy, you need to use any asset, especially if you have one like you have here,” Penske said after Tuesday's unveiling of the Grand Prix of Indianapolis.

The event on the 14-turn, 2.434-mile road course will be May 8-10, kickstarting the buildup to the Indianapolis 500. Plans are for this to be an annual event, a points-paying IndyCar race.

Penske supports the idea that the two ABC-TV races will work together to support the series as a whole. They will bookend IMS activities, with qualifying weekend sandwiched in between.

“To have a Speedweek like this is almost the greatest thing I've heard,” Penske said. “It will help our sport. Great event, great announcement.”

Penske noted that from a team owner's standpoint, it gives him a chance to sell a second layer of sponsorship to the most significant track in racing.

“Two opportunities at the Indy 500; people haven't thought about that,” he said. “Having ABC covering the weekends will be very important to our sponsors and give us a chance as a team to win two events at the Speedway, that gives us a high goal to shoot for.”

IMS officials are hoping to award a trophy, likely called “the Hulman Cup,” if the same driver wins both races.

Penske doesn't mind that Indy has always meant oval-track racing.

“Thinking about history, we've gone from 30 days to 10 [with the 500]; we've got the Brickyard,” he said. “History, to me, is behind us, and in today's world you've got to take big, bold steps. I think that's the Speedway has done and the Hulman family has done, and it's going to make our series a much better series.”